Reviews for Harken 7803.JEEP Hoister Garage Storage 4-Point Lift System for 87-24 Jeep Wrangler JL, JK, TJ & YJ

Once installed, very easy to use. Just make sure you follow the installation instructions.

WORKS OK FOR WHAT I NEED

Great idea, but, as the picture shows, you must have space behind the Jeep for it to work. If you don't have a clear space behind your Jeep, you have to modify the design in order for it to work. Also, cannot lift it completely to the ceiling due to the design, so it hangs lower than expected.

Has a whole it works great, but the instructions are lacking. Finally just figured it out myself.

The instructions had me boggled. I found myself going back and forth, second guessing myself, and getting frustrated. I finally got it up, and it works well but I could have used a separate hook to tie excess cord

So ... it works... I guess. There is no denying that I can now lift and lower the TJ's hard top on my own. I read the reviews and ravings from Jeep forums and pulled the trigger on this lift. I wish now that I had spent the extra money for a more traditional hoist (single lift point with a winch, manual or otherwise). I just don't really understand the hype. Yes it uses 4 lifting points, but that gives me no peace of mind. There are several "weak points" of this system that make me a bit uneasy. 4 lifting points sure, but 1 point on the side wall it all gets held by, and by a very small piece of metal mind you. The straps use a metal buckle... much like my dog's collar. When the manual suggests "if you want" you can add extra straps to hold the top to the ceiling for extra security... you don't feel very confident. I mean think about that, are you going to hoist your top up, then get out a ladder to climb up there and tie/strap it down by hand every time you lift your top up? The system is very difficult/impossible to lower without weight on it as well. If you leave the top on your Jeep, you can't raise the system back up without it becoming very difficult to lower it again. So either you can deal with that (literally climbing up there, grabbing all 4 ropes to pull on while you try to disengage the brake at the same time), or you leave 4 ropes and straps (with a metal buckle on every one) dangle down to the floor while your drive your Jeep in and out. The only real solution is to tie the ropes to a side wall while not in use. You are also very limited by your garage configuration. Too tall, too short, too long, not long enough... you have to be just right if you want full functionality. I cannot lower my top to the ground for example because my garage is not long enough. I also had a heck of a time getting the top to raise all the way to the ceiling, as well as getting it to lift level. Its pretty close but not perfect. Theres another review on this site that says something similar, so I hope its not just me. In summary, this hoist will lift your top up and down, but with many compromises. If you need "a" solution to lift your top, this will probably work (if your garage is compatible). If you need a "good" solution, I would look elsewhere. I wish I had seen a review like this one before I bought it.

Being an old sailor I've use Harken products for years, so I was a little disappointed with this hoist. It works well enough, but I have yet to get the straps adjusted to the point the top is lifted level, particularly front to back. Could be a better and easily adjusted way to attach the ropes to the strap, other than a Figure 8 Follow Through knot; not everyone is an old sailor, raft guide, or mountain climber. The "safety cleat" will NOT allow the hoisting straps to be lowered without weight on the system. Because my front to back alignment was a little off, once the top was sitting on the Jeep, I had to climb a ladder, hold the cleat open with one hand and lower the top the rest of the way with the other. If you pull the straps up out of the way, you again have to hold the cleat open, somehow, to pull them down for use.
The straps do rest on the rear window gasket; not sure how good an idea that is.
It does lift the top with minimal effort.

The black drop ropes are beginning to fray and will need to be replaced, after a single use. The concept behind this lift is good, but the materials are substandard and I will have to upgrade before I trust my hardtop to ropes that fray after a single use.

Very deceiving photos... I have 9 1/2 foot ceilings in my garage and after 2 whole days of messing around with this, I can't get it high enough for storage. It will lift the roof sufficiently to drive out of the garage, but will leave your garage occupied by a floating roof to smack your head on if you walk through. Not very practical. The photos and diagrams showing the roof hanging up on the ceiling out-of-the-way must have been taken in a barn or industrial garage. It is very frustrating since sending it back will now require an equal amount of labor to try and disassemble the system. Do not buy unless you have a garage dedicated for storage of your jeep roof.